From left to right: Tommy Dalton, Damon Gunness, Thomaz Yonekura (instructor), Fabio Geronazzo (instructor), Trent Lillis and Ian Gall. Seated: Gina Robinson and Claire Youmans
Also called as “Contrology”, especially by its creator Joseph H. Pilates, this method invites you to be in control of your body and then be able to be efficient and coordinated, activating the right muscles to either work or relax, enabling you to execute naturally, precisely and flowy whatever movement or gesture you
want it to make.
Surf is very complex, from a movement standpoint. Your body needs to react quickly to unpredictable circumstances all the time.
The more you have control of your body, the better.
- Battle against a rip might demand some extra paddling which will be easier if you know how to preserve the muscles you don’t need to use and be able to focus on those that are on high demand at that time.
- Use your breath properly to save you energy instead of holding your breath and struggle to get some air.
- Have a strong “Power House”(core) which at the very least will prevent you from lower back, shoulder and neck pain which can come over some time in the water if your posture is not right and also gives you some extra power when you need to trigger your maneuvers.
- The constant movement of paddling, sitting on the board, laying down, step up, take off, kneeling, etc., become a lot easier if your joints are loose and have good mobility.
And this is why the “Authentic Pilates” can help all the keen surfers who want to improve their experience in the water, doesn’t matter if they are a beginner or a super skilled and experienced surfer as well as anything in between. A regular weekly Pilates practice will definitely increase your strength, flexibility and
mobility. We are not here to teach you specific surf movements, definitely no! But we can definitely reproduce some demands your body will need to face when surfing, challenge your balance and your coordination. You can also use your Pilates practice as a fixture after a long or a hard surf session, get your posture sorted and your muscles realigned.
Some of the local surfers are already enjoying some of these benefits, whether being just getting fit, stretching, recovering from old lingering injuries or even all of them together…lol. They come as they are, to our Privates, Mat or Mat Wall sessions and we take the charge to make them leave better than they arrived every single time they are here with us.
Have a good surf!
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